gpa addendum...good move or not so much

I have a 3.42 undergraduate gpa...my first several semesters were not so good, 3.0, 2.5, 2.75. the reason for this is the difficulty in managing my studies with full time employment. please let me know if i should bother with an addendum... if you remove these problematic semesters then a cummulative gpa of 3.66 emerges.

if you think an addendum is a good idea then how does this sound for one:

"I am submitting this addendum to explain why my academic performance during my first three semesters is not representative of my true potential. I found it very challenging to balance full-time employment with my undergraduate studies and because of this my grades suffered. What resulted from these experiences was the ability to better manage my time and resources and focus my attention on multiple facets of life. This resolute change is evidenced by an upward grade trend and a cumulative grade point average from my sophomore year until now of 3.66. Please consider this when reviewing my undergraduate academic performance."

I dunno, it might help. I'd be more direct though. They won't want to spend much time on it. "I had trouble balancing full-time employment and study requirements my first three semesters of school and my grades suffered. I learned how to manage my time and resources better and finished the rest of my degree program without further incident."

Something like that. If you were working full-time during the last 5 semesters then you'll want to be sure you make that clear. HTH

I'm in the same boat, but with less of a good reason for the poor grades. My semesters so far are 2.6, 2.9, 3.0, 3.4, 3.8. I've worked as well, but only about 15 hours per week. Do you think an addendum would help in my case, or would it just come off as trying to offer a lame excuse?

I'm in the same boat, but with less of a good reason for the poor grades. My semesters so far are 2.6, 2.9, 3.0, 3.4, 3.8. I've worked as well, but only about 15 hours per week. Do you think an addendum would help in my case, or would it just come off as trying to offer a lame excuse?

It's hard to tell. It doesn't seem like it would help much based on what you've told me.

Co-sign. 15 hours a week working =/= legitimate excuse for poor grades. You've had an upward grade trend, however, which is excellent. The adcomms will note this. If your cum GPA is just barely above a 3.0, it might be worth mentioning something. If you want to include an addendum, I suggest it say something along the lines of:

I appreciate the committee's consideration regarding the upward trend of my GPA over the last four years. Adjusting to college life proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated, and this was reflected in my first year grades. I am proud of my accomplishments and have been consistently recognized on the Dean's List for the past X semesters. Having beat this early set-back, I feel confident that I am prepared to manage my time effectively to be successful in a law school setting.

Just keep it short and sweet. Addendums don't need to be more than 1-2 paragraphs.

Co-sign. 15 hours a week working =/= legitimate excuse for poor grades. You've had an upward grade trend, however, which is excellent. The adcomms will note this. If your cum GPA is just barely above a 3.0, it might be worth mentioning something. If you want to include an addendum, I suggest it say something along the lines of:

I appreciate the committee's consideration regarding the upward trend of my GPA over the last four years. Adjusting to college life proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated, and this was reflected in my first year grades. I am proud of my accomplishments and have been consistently recognized on the Dean's List for the past X semesters. Having beat this early set-back, I feel confident that I am prepared to manage my time effectively to be successful in a law school setting.

Just keep it short and sweet. Addendums don't need to be more than 1-2 paragraphs.